Predella of the San Domenico Altarpiece

Fra Angelico painted these predella panels around 1423-1424 as the base section of a larger altarpiece for San Domenico, the Dominican convent in Fiesole outside Florence. The predella originally contained five narrative scenes depicting events from the lives of various saints, designed to be viewed at close range by worshippers kneeling before the altar.

This work belongs to Fra Angelico's early period, before he developed the more refined style seen in his later San Marco frescoes. The panels already display his gift for clear storytelling and luminous color. Each scene unfolds in carefully constructed architectural settings that show the influence of the new Renaissance interest in perspective and spatial depth.

The predella panels were separated from the main altarpiece at some point in their history. While the central Madonna and Child remains in Fiesole, several predella scenes traveled to the National Gallery in London. Fra Angelico would go on to become one of the most beloved painters of the early Renaissance, known for spiritual devotion expressed through radiant colors and gentle figures.